Digital tools and technological innovations don’t change anything if they are not utilised. So, the coordination work package places great focus on ensuring that the relevant digital competence is in place, for everyone from office staff to machine operators. Within this package we also find projects that strengthen the digital value chain, for example by developing decision-support that enables industry actors to collaborate and “benefit” from each other’s data. Only then can full digital transformation take place.
The Coordination Package focuses on five divisions:
Digital Forest Test Site
The Mistra Digital Forest program’s test site consists of a large coherent forest area, and some experimental parks. Field trials are located here, and selected forest areas have been laser scanned, from both the air and the ground, with new high-resolution technology for remote sensing. The detailed “image” of large areas using this new technology, combined with other data sources, opens the door to completely new knowledge and to new ways of working. There is more about that under each work package.
Synthesis – digitalisation for a sustainable bioeconomy
This project is about making connections and finding syntheses between the different research groups in Mistra Digital Forest, and between different actors. It gives digital transformation a real push forwards, and in the long run it accelerates the transition to a sustainable bioeconomy. How? For example, by combining the different approaches of the work packages it is possible to make complex analyses that show how the forest can be managed and worked, taking both economy, climate and biodiversity into account.
Digital Transformation
Only a small part of all the data is used, and that is often tied to individual companies. Instead, we could benefit from a digital information flow along the entire forestry value chain. In this project the research creates new digital services and business models, that enable companies to take advantage of all the data in order to strengthen their business. That everyone involved understands the possibilities is a decisive factor, so that all concerned establish strategies for their digital development.
Biorefinery
In order for a circular bioeconomy to become a reality, we need to utilise as much of the tree as possible, meaning that the biorefineries are crucial. There, the biomass that has previously been considered “unusable” can be processed into green products. In this project, the researchers are studying the capacity of the biorefineries and determining how they can be developed. They are investigating what new opportunities are opening up in the biorefinery with more and better information about the forest raw material. They are also trying to find ways to utilise the raw material resource even more efficiently, and at a higher value.
Digital Forest Academy
In order for the industry’s companies to undergo a digital transformation, knowledge is needed. In this project, the focus is on producing educational content that helps companies to perceive, and implement, digitalisation in their business. This can be anything from the choice of decision-support, to an updated business model. The content is governed by the needs of each company, for example, it could be support in the development of a digital strategy.